Is gelatin an animal product?!
Is gelatin an animal product?
Answers:
What is gelatin/gelatine? Is there any alternative to it?
Gelatin (US spelling) or gelatine (British spelling) (used to make Jell-o and other desserts) is made from the boiled bones, skins and tendons of animals. An alternative substance is called Agar-Agar, which is derived from seaweed. Another is made from the root of the Kuzu. Agar-Agar is sold in noodle-like strands, in powdered form, or in long blocks, and is usually white-ish in color.
Some Kosher gelatins are made with agar-agar, most are not. Some things that are vegan that are replacing gelatin are: guar gum and carrageenan. Only some 'emulsifiers' are vegan. Gelatin is used in photography. Although the technology exists to replace photographic film, its price is currently prohibitive and there is insufficient demand. Hopefully, with the growth of vegetarianism and veganism, this situation will soon change.
What is kosher gelatine?
from the Vegetarian Resource Group:
Kosher gelatin can be made with fish bones, and/or beef skins. Contrary to assumptions, it is also considered kosher to use it with dairy products. Kosher law is very complex and the bones and hides used in gelatin production are considered pareve. The general meaning of pareve refers to foods that are neither milk nor meat, and many people assume this means that the product is vegetarian. However, OU pareve certified ingredients can have animal products, such as fish, eggs, and gelatin, in them.
"Kosher Gelatin Marshmallows: Glatt Kosher and 'OU-Pareve'," an article that appeared in Kashrus Magazine, explains the distinctions. A quote from the article is as follows:
"...since the gelatin product is from hides or bones - not real flesh - and has undergone such significant changes, it is no longer considered 'fleishig' (meat) but 'pareve', and can be eaten with dairy products."
Is there vegan gelatine?
from a reader in Germany:
"Gelatine" is a substance made of animal bones and other parts of the animal's body. So if there's a product with "gelatine", it can't be vegan.
But there exists a big variety of substances which are vegan an which have the same properties as gelatine: Cellulose (Amid), Agar-Agar, Biobin, Guar, Xanthan, Carob fruit and others. (Unfortunately I do not know the exact english names, but maybe this will help you already.).
So if you read on the ingredient list that gelatine is used, then you can be sure that this product is NOT vegan. But if one or more of the other mentioned subsances appear on the list, you can be sure that you can eat them even as vegan.
Are there any other foods like gelatin out there?
Rennet, traditionally used as a coagulating agent in cheese making, is derived from the digestive juices of slaughtered calves. Rennet is like gelatin in the sense that it's a common food additive but the foods containing it are often considered vegetarian.
Gelatin (also gelatine, from French gélatine)is a translucent brittle solid substance, colorless or slightly yellow, nearly tasteless and odorless, extracted from the collagen inside animals' connective tissue. It has been commonly used in food, pharmaceutical, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar way are called gelatinous. Gelatin is an irreversibly hydrolyzed form of collagen. Gelatin is also known as E number E441.
Typically yes
yea. it's collegen from animal bone tissue.
Angel is right on. Gelatin is used in a world of products from fingernail polish to capsules for medecine.
no..its a plant extract. check out your jello box or call their info phone #. Some foods are thickened with a product called carageen.I don't know the correct spelling i'm spelling phoneticly.I know that its used in ice cream frozen custards and such.Check out the product ingredience lists.
Yes, horse hoofs
Yes, and I think it is usually made out of hooves. I think.
yes.
from what i understand, it is a substance that is created by boiling bones. it makes a gel like substance, and there are no vegetable substitutes that are similar in its consistency, unfortunately.
Yes, unless you get vegan gelatin, gelatin is made of the skin, bones, ligaments, and tendons of what's left over of the animals used for other purposes. It is then boiled and put into your jell-o and starburst.